


Do You Love Me?

by PinkTea



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Angst, Canon-Compliant, M/M, Pre-Game Saihara Shuichi, Spoilers, slightly nsfw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-06 20:32:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14065005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkTea/pseuds/PinkTea
Summary: K1-B0 is only allowed outside to develop his AI, but he falls for a boy in his class who is obsessed with the very thing he was created for. It's alright to tell secrets for an innocent purpose, isn't it?





	Do You Love Me?

**Author's Note:**

> hi! i'm just going to write a couple chapters of this... fair warning that it's not a healthy relationship, it's mostly just drabbles about keebo's feelings regarding saihara before v3 and knowing that he's basically created to die. i hope you like it!

The more Keebo learned, the more he wondered if he should exist.

Team Danganronpa made him for a future season of their show and then sent him out into the world to allow his AI to develop. An advanced personality and understanding of how the world works couldn't be programmed into him overnight- thus, he had to have experience. He had to become human enough to be entertaining as the audience surrogate of the infamous killing game. Truly, K1-B0 was something incredible, even in a world where memories could be altered with the flick of a switch.

Honestly, though, he didn't know how he felt about Danganronpa.

The killing games were wildly popular, a cultural phenomenon in a society thirsty for blood and despair. Keebo wanted to feel hope and love instead, which he realized was probably programmed into him by his creators from the start. He was allowed to feel unhappy about the killing games because it made him more of an “interesting character”, or something like that. Ultimately, there was nothing he could do against his masters except follow their order to live. He was allowed to feel because it was _entertainment_. For that reason, Keebo preferred to not feel much at all- his situation would never change, and he knew that. Were he a real human, he'd have choice in his life, and he envied his classmates for their ignorance.

The knowledge that he existed merely to entertain pulled him down, made him feel worthless and wasted on such a purpose. It didn't help that Keebo didn't have anybody close to him, being quiet in school and having little contact with anybody besides the people who performed maintenance on him. Existing merely to learn and build a personality for a television character that wouldn't _really_ be him wasn't much of a purpose at all.

There was _somebody_ Keebo liked, at least.

The feeling of attraction was something new to his AI, and he wasn't sure how he was supposed to deal with it.

Saihara Shuichi was in two of his classes, and they'd spoken only a couple of times. Since neither of them had friends in classes, they had been paired up by the instructor for a project once. Keebo himself wasn't sure what he found attractive about him- he was constantly hiding his face behind his hat and had very little to say. Perhaps it was just the principle of talking to somebody that Keebo liked, being somewhat starved for attention. Despite being slightly unkempt, Shuichi had a natural beauty about him. When Keebo caught glimpses of Shuichi's eyes peeking out from under the brim of his hat, he could feel his circuits burning. His hands were pale and soft-looking, and Keebo wondered what they'd feel like against his own.

Saihara liked Danganronpa. There were very few things the robot knew about Saihara, but this was something he was sure of. It was difficult to ignore the cutesy-looking key chains he had hooked on his backpack featuring colorful characters Keebo barely recognized; not to mention the folders, notebooks, and doodles with Monokuma's face on them.

Even though he didn't have a fondness for Danganronpa himself, Keebo felt pride at being a part of something Shuichi liked so much, even if the boy didn't realize it. If he knew, perhaps then they'd have something to talk about, and some reason to spend time together.

It was that thought which damned Keebo.

It was that thought which spiraled into him pulling Saihara to speak in an empty hallway after school, and quietly confessing to him, “I am part of Danganronpa.”

The sentence was one that didn't make sense when articulated, and it earned him only a blank and confused stare from Saihara, who tightly gripped the strap of his bag.

“Um... what?” the dark-haired boy questioned, his golden eyes darting away after only a moment of eye contact. “You... like Danganronpa, too...?”

Keebo shook his head and did his best to get close enough to Saihara to whisper without making either of them uncomfortable. “N-no, that's not what I meant...”

Keebo wasn't supposed to tell anybody about his origins, but it wasn't something that would get him decommissioned if it were only one boy who knew. Probably. He wasn't sure why he felt compelled to tell Saihara at all- perhaps it was just the desperation of wanting to have something to live for aside from a goal that wasn't his own.

“I am a robot made by Team Danganronpa to participate in the 53rd killing game,” he blurted in a harsh whisper, not actually looking at Saihara. What was he doing? Why was he _saying_ this? “I am here to- to learn about being a person... Ah... I just thought... you might be interested in that information, sorry for being presumptuous, Saihara...”

Voice trailing off, Keebo's head dipped further so Saihara couldn't see his flushed face. Well, now he was just embarrassed. What was he thinking? God, what a stupid mistake. Now Saihara was just going to think he was a freak. The silence was tangible and he felt he'd made a dreadful decision.

As Keebo was about to open his mouth to apologize, he suddenly felt cold palms clamp onto his cheeks. With a squeak of surprise, his books tumbled out of his arms and onto the floor with a loud thud. His eyes focused on Saihara's face, suddenly close enough to feel breath on his face. Saihara's eyes were wild and wide, mouth open slightly. His expression wasn't one that Keebo could place.

“Prove it,” Saihara finally said, voice somewhere between excited and nervous. There was a moment of stillness before the boy withdrew his clammy hands, not stepping away. “I-if you're lying to me, I...” He didn't continue the statement, but Keebo got the message.

Now feeling like he had some sort of expectation to live up to, Keebo nervously went about undoing the top buttons of his uniform. Saihara's eyes bore into him, and he felt like he could melt under them. Carefully, he tilted his head up just barely to let the taller boy catch a glimpse of the hard metal he was composed of from the face down. Absolutely refusing to make eye contact with Saihara, he mumbled, “See? I'm telling the truth.”

Keebo could feel his circuits heating up from the embarrassment, and after a brief moment he moved to close his jacket again- but he was taken off-guard by the clammy hands on him once more, letting out a brief yelp of surprise. Those fingers pressed against his throat and rubbed frantic circles against the metallic surface, and Saihara's loud breathing echoed through the empty hallway. Keebo struggled to get a look at Saihara's expression, but it was one he couldn't quite place. Lust...? No, no- it couldn't be _that_ -

“You're really a robot,” Saihara exclaimed breathlessly, palms pressing against Keebo's exposed neck. Regardless of how much Keebo liked him, he wasn't entirely comfortable with this, so he managed to shrug the hands off of himself and pull his collar back up.

As the robot began fixing the buttons on his jacket, he could feel his head spin in the aftermath of that closeness. Nobody touched him aside from those in charge of his maintenance, and even then it didn't feel like _that_. “S-sorry...” For what he was apologizing, he wasn't quite sure. “Would you mind keeping it a secret, Saihara? I'll get in trouble if rumors start spreading...”

Saihara continued to stare for a moment before crouching to pick up the books Keebo had dropped, his hands visibly shaking. “Yeah! Y-yes, of course! I don't have anyone to tell anyway, I...” Completing a sentence seemed to be a task too difficult for him at the moment, eyes darting between Keebo and the scattered papers.

Keebo couldn't think of anything more to say. It was very awkward, and he knew he didn't think through the whole confessing-to-be-a-TV-robot plan. This was stupid, wasn't it...

The taller boy finished picking up Keebo's belongings and stood, holding them out to him carefully. The way he held them suggested that they were sacred in some way and it struck Keebo as being a little odd, but he took them gratefully anyway.

“You're called K-Keebo, right?” Saihara suddenly spoke again, nervously tugging on his own uniform as he spoke. “You're really going to be in Danganronpa? You're really going to be in it?”

Keebo startled a bit, glancing around to make sure nobody was overhearing them. “Ah, yes... If you would like to discuss it, could we go someplace with more privacy...?”

Something in the other boy seemed to light up, and his posture straightened slightly. “That's fine! Um, you can come to my place, if you want...?”

There was no way Saihara could come with Keebo to his “place”, so Saihara's seemed like a good location to continue the discussion. Keebo felt something warm surge in his chest at the idea of spending time with him in a place so personal, and a faint dusting of pink came across his face. “That would be alright, if you will let me.”

Maybe this wasn't such a mistake after all?

* * *

The trip was short, albeit quiet and fairly awkward. Saihara seemed to gaze at him oddly as they took a brief train ride, and Keebo wasn't certain if this was normal human behavior. Was it possible that Saihara _did_ have an interest in him now...? He could use his position as a creation of Danganronpa to give them an excuse to get to know each other, really and truly, and maybe Saihara could like him in a deeper way? Such human longing was silly and embarrassing to think about, but Keebo _liked_ feeling human.

Saihara's home was quaint and simple, but Keebo instantly liked it. It was warm and lived-in, unlike the plain white laboratory room that served as his 'home'. Despite nobody being there aside from them, Saihara insisted that they head up to his room in the attic.

When the boy pushed open the door to his room, he bashfully mumbled something that Keebo didn't catch, hurrying ahead of him.

It was a little startling, if Keebo was being honest.

The sloped ceiling was completely obscured by posters, every one of them themed with Danganronpa characters and symbols. There was a board with keychains carefully pinned to every inch, and there was about every form of merchandise littered throughout the space. A desk occupied the furthest corner beneath a single window, cluttered with notebooks and crumpled paper. Overall the space was messy, a bit too dark, and left little room for movement.

“Sorry, I didn't expect anyone to come here,” Saihara said quietly, quickly shoving a few things into the closet. “Y-you can sit on the bed, if you want. I can get you a soda...?”

Keebo was polite enough to not remark on the mess, instead moving to sit on the bed as he was instructed. The springs creaked loudly, obviously not in the best of condition. “Ah- no, that is alright... I can't eat or drink, so...” Quickly, he added, “But I like to look at food! It looks very pleasant!”

That remark earned him a curious look. Saihara obviously didn't understand what he was talking about, but understood enough to know of Keebo's inability to consume anything. “Oh, sorry...” He leaned down to take a can of soda from a cooler under his desk, dragging the swivel chair closer to Keebo and taking a seat. He pried open the drink, the fizzing sound feeling too loud in the quiet room as his fingers continued to tremble. “You're...” he began, holding the can just below his lips as he resumed his staring at the robot. “You're really... part of Danganronpa?”

“Yes!” Keebo immediately piped up. It was strange how he suddenly felt a bit of pride in himself for his relation to the killing game, simply because it seemed to be the object of Saihara's adoration. In this space, he was allowed to talk about it, and perhaps allowed to feel at peace with himself. “I will be broadcasting the game through my eyes. They're cameras.” He leaned forward a bit, gesturing at his blue irises. “The audience will be allowed to interact with the game by telling me which actions to take, via a survey.”

Saihara leaned in closer to him to get a look at his eyes, and Keebo felt like he was being stared right through to his core. He clung to Keebo's every word, mouth open slightly in awe. “Audience interaction? That's- that's amazing! That's never happened before in the series!” The drink in his hand looked dangerously close to spilling. “Does that make you the main character...?”

Keebo paused suddenly. That thought hadn't actually occurred to him before, as he hadn't spent all that much time thinking about his participation in the game. “Ah... if the cameras are following me- er, are inside of me- then... I suppose I am?”

“That's amazing!”

Saihara's abrupt shout caught Keebo off-guard, and Saihara himself to a lesser extent. He was red-faced, but had no intention of stopping his questions.

“K-Keebo, do you think you can get me a spot in the game?”

Now _that_ gave Keebo a start. He stared at the taller boy, confusion written on his face. “What? You want to participate? Saihara, you will likely die-!”

“I know!” The tone Saihara used was excited, as if enthralled by the very idea of it. “The killing is what's fun about it! Th-the mystery and the characters, and the suspense, and,” he looked like he was going to burst with excitement, soda dripping down his fingers. “I r-really love the detective characters. Kirigiri is my hero. There's never been a detective found guilty of murder, and I've thought of some really good punishments for one, and exciting ways to kill people! I want to be an Ultimate Detective, and I want to be part of Danganronpa myself!”

Saihara was beaming, a lopsided grin stretching across his face. This was the first time Keebo had seen him look so happy.

“You could make my dream come true, Keebo!”

Ah.

That would be hard to say no to.

Saihara's excitement was, for the most part, just confusing to the robot. Why would somebody be excited over the idea of dying? But, if that was Saihara's dream, then how could Keebo just say _no_? He couldn't do that to him. Saihara was his _favorite_.

“I'll...” Keebo averted his eyes, unable to hold Saihara's intense gaze. “I will see what I can do... Casting hasn't begun yet, so... There's a chance...”

The whole room felt alight with the pure enthusiasm oozing from Saihara's expression, and Keebo felt his cheeks dust pink again. This was the first time somebody had been so excited to talk to him, or wanted to talk to him at all. This boy was special.

“Th-thank you! Thank you, if I get in I promise I won't disappoint anybody!” Saihara stood and pushed the chair away, haphazardly setting his untouched drink on the carpet and wiping his sticky fingers on the leg of his pants. “I have some suggestions for my backstory, too!” He sat beside Keebo, bed creaking as it took on more weight, and Saihara felt very, very close.

“Do not thank me yet, I, I haven't talked to anybody yet...! But I am glad to be able to help you in any way I can...”

Saihara suddenly became quiet again, eyes lingering on the robot's face. For a moment, Keebo was afraid he'd said something to upset him, until the boy piped up again. “Can I take your hat off?”

Blinking, Keebo subconsciously placed a hand over his head, feeling the cap there. “Oh? That's fine. May I request that you take off yours as well?”

Shuichi didn't hesitate to pull his own hat off, although he seemed a little embarrassed about it and quickly moved to adjust his hair. “S-sorry. I forgot I was wearing it.” He tossed it somewhere into the mess of the room, hands quivering as he lightly touched the brim of Keebo's hat. The way the taller boy was handling him seemed rather solemn, and Keebo didn't understand it in the slightest. The hat was lifted, and Saihara held it to his chest as he stared at the robot's hair, mouthing something to himself in awe.

“That's my antenna,” Keebo remarked, noticing where Saihara was looking. “It will allow me to receive contact from the outside world.”

“Do you know what your talent is going to be?” Saihara instantly asked, seeming to care more about that than the technology being described.

Keebo shifted to face Saihara better, lips quirking. “Ah. It is a bit obvious, but I will be called the Ultimate Robot.” He paused, remembering something he'd overheard. “Ultimate Hope Robot, if I live long enough to participate in the final trial and contribute to it.”

Talking about the near-inevitability of his own death gave Keebo a bit of a chill.

“Hope.” Saihara echoed that single word, eyes shifting to look at the robot's face once again. “Y-you're modeled after Naegi... I knew it.”

That name meant little to nothing to Keebo. Despite being a part of the program, he still wasn't exactly knowledgeable about it. Perhaps that was the intention of his creators. It would be troublesome if they had to erase any of his AI when they wiped his memory, so keeping that sort of thing out of his knowledge likely made things easier.

“You're really beautiful...”

Keebo had never been told such a thing. He'd never been told much of anything, throughout his rather short existence. This compliment struck him like an arrow, and he felt his face turn red.

Sharing his secret wasn't a mistake, if this was what he would get in return.

“Do you have- a logo on you, or anything?” Saihara asked, fingers gripping tightly to the hat in his hands. “Like, the Danganronpa logo? Th-that's a weird question, I'm sorry.”

It was weird, and Keebo gave it a moment of thought before responding. “I don't believe so. If I had a logo on me, it would be too obvious that I was made by the team. When I enter the game, I will be unaware of the circumstances of my birth. I am still being developed, however, so it's possible that one is present... So you are free to check for one, if you'd like.”

Saihara smiled again, and Keebo felt content. He felt love.

* * *

Keebo had underestimated how much Saihara would be touching him in his search for a logo.

He thought it was a funny idea with little purpose and hadn't resisted, but now that it was actually happening he was suddenly embarrassed beyond belief.

The robot had his head rested in Saihara's lap while the boy tampered with the metal compartments he had in place of ears, nails digging into the small crevices in search of something that would pop off. Keebo couldn't help the little sounds of stress he made with each tug, but it was made up for with murmured apologies close to his sound receptors.

“It really looks like it could come off,” Saihara muttered, prying particularly hard.

With a click it eventually did, and Keebo jumped as the receptors on that side of his head went quiet. That could be repaired. Probably.

Saihara was silent for a drawn-out moment, and Keebo wasn't sure if he was actually being quiet or if he just couldn't hear anything. He was assured of the functioning of his other receptors as he heard the sound of Saihara's heavy breathing, muffled by the presence of the boy's thigh against his head.

“There's one, right there.”

Saihara stared at a small logo engraved in a box of tiny cables, revealed by the absence of the earpiece. It was scratched in a deliberate way, clearly in the process of being removed, but it was still visible and Saihara was _ecstatic_.

The robot felt relieved that Saihara had found something he liked, filled with the desire to impress him. That was normal for a crush, wasn't it? He was really, really new to this.

Although he couldn't hear what the boy was doing, he felt the tickle of breath against his cheek and neck, a shudder traveling through him. _Huh_?

“S-Saihara?” Keebo stuttered, voice weak and feeling caught in his throat as the boy's fingers travelled to lightly cup his cheek, pulling him up slightly.

The feeling of lips pressed against him, unmistakable as they planted a kiss on the logo engraved within him.

“Saihara!” He repeated louder, in a tone that was nearly a squeak. His body shook as those soft lips pressed against him again, this time brushing a wire that was thankfully insulated. Why was he being kissed? Was this okay? Did- did Saihara- _like_ him?

The kisses continued, straying from the logo to his neck. This was a feeling Keebo had never experienced before, fingers unsteady as he lightly gripped Saihara's thigh. Small sounds of pleasure escaped Keebo, and he felt ashamed but unable to hold them back. What was this? Was this... okay?

The hand on his cheek tilted his head and he finally got a good look at Saihara's face. His eyelids were heavy and face a dark red, lips parted and heavy pants escaping him. Keebo hardly had a moment to register the beauty in front of him before Saihara dove in again, this time pressing their lips together.

The movement was a bit desperate, and Keebo had no idea how to respond. He'd never been kissed before, he didn't know how to do this right! And yet, Saihara seemed to be happy with what he was doing without even needing Keebo to respond, making small sounds of desire into his mouth. Honestly, the robot felt star-struck. It was amazing, too amazing, and it felt almost like a sensory overload.

Attempting to contribute, Keebo tried to kiss back, earning a happy-sounding murmur of praise. He was just beginning to feel like he could do this before Saihara's tongue pressed against his lips, begging to enter. The sound Keebo made was somewhere between pleasure and surprise, and he let Saihara's tongue in without entirely intending to.

The natural wetness of Saihara's mouth warmed Keebo's synthetic tongue, and the whole experience felt something like becoming part of him. That, he thought, was something he could be content with. He didn't want to be an entertainment robot.

He wanted to be _Saihara's_ robot.

The human had to pull back to breathe eventually, face still directly in front of Keebo's. His expression looked a bit crazed, but Keebo took it to be attributed to lust. Lust? Did Saihara feel that way about him? It was kind, too kind.

It was a moment of bliss for him. For the first time in his life, Keebo felt wanted, and maybe even a little loved. If this was what it felt like to be human, he wanted to be one.

He didn't expect Saihara to jab his thumb into his eye, pressing on the camera and making sure it was pointed directly at him.

“Is anyone watching?” Saihara breathed heavily, fingers too rough on Keebo's delicate surfaces. The stare he gave was one Keebo found himself entirely uncomfortable with.

It felt like he was looking through Keebo and at something else.

“Do you see me?” Saihara's voice lowered to a whisper, so close that the robot couldn't properly focus on him. “Th-this, this is how much I love Da-”

“Saihara?”

Keebo's alarmed voice seemed to shock Saihara out of his focus, and he immediately wrenched back to look at him properly. He looked almost surprised to see the robot there, and Keebo didn't understand.

“A-ah. I'm sorry Keebo. I got carried away, I guess...” The boy gave Keebo a wobbly smile, fingers brushing through his white bangs.

Carried away, that's all.

Then, why did Keebo feel hurt?

 


End file.
